Chemical structures, extraction and analysis technologies, and bioactivities of edible fungal polysaccharides from Poria cocos: An updated review.

Poria cocos is a popular medicinal food. Polysaccharides are the key component of Poria cocos, forming 70-90 % of the dry sclerotia mass. Recent studies indicate that Poria cocos polysaccharides (PCP-Cs) have multiple beneficial functions and applications. A literature search was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection and PubMed databases. For this review, we provided an updated research progress in chemical structures, various extraction and analysis technologies, bioactivities of PCP-Cs, and insights into the directions for future research. The main polysaccharides identified in Poria cocos are water-soluble polysaccharides and acidic polysaccharides. Hot water, alkali, supercritical fluid, ultrasonic, enzyme, and deep eutectic solvent-based methods are the most common methods for PCP-Cs extraction. Technologies such as near-infrared spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography, and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry, are commonly used to evaluate the qualities of PCP-Cs. In addition, PCP-Cs have antioxidant, immunomodulatory, neuroregulatory, anticancer, hepatoprotective, and gut microbiota regulatory properties. Future research is needed to focus on scaling up extraction, enhancing quality control, elucidating mechanisms of bioactivities, and the utilisation of PCP-Cs in food industries. Overall, Poria cocos is a good source of edible fungi polysaccharides, which can be developed into functional foods with potential health benefits.

Spatial variation and geographic-demographic determinants of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the city-state of Singapore.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Our primary objective is to calculate the relative risk of cardiac arrests at the development guide plan (DGP) (equivalent to census tract) level in a city-state, Singapore, and examine its relationship with key area-level population characteristics. METHODS: This was an observational ecological study design. We calculated the relative risk as the ratio of the observed and population standardized expected counts of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Singapore, aggregated at DGP level. Data were collected from October 2001 to October 2004. We used conditional autoregressive spatial models to examine the predictors of increased risk at the DGP level. RESULTS: We found a spatial distribution of cardiac arrests, with an unexpected cluster caused by nonresident arrests occurring at the international airport. The risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest more than doubled, 2.35 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.28 to 4.48), for each 5-point increase in the proportion of people aged 65 years and older. For each 5-point increase in the proportion of Chinese individuals living in a DGP, the risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest was reduced by a factor of 0.8 (95% CI 0.7 to 0.9). The risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest increased by 1.49-fold (95% CI 1.18 to 1.82) for every 5-point increase in the proportion of households with no family nucleus (live alone). When restricted to residential cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, none of the variables remained significant, possibly because of small sample size. CONCLUSION: The risk of cardiac arrests could be related to the age and racial and family structure of DGPs in Singapore. This article models how such data can help to direct public health education, cardiopulmonary resuscitation training, and public access defibrillation programs in other health systems.